It was an incredible feeling to learn that my portrait of hip hop icon Snoop Dogg was Chosen for American Photography 33 – I have entered for the last few years so to place in the prestigious competition was the cherry on top to one of my favorite shoots of 2016.

Known for beating Big Tobacco and more, attorney Steve Berman has won successful verdicts in dozens of historic class-action lawsuits over a storied career, as founder and managing partner of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro in Seattle. Now he is taking on pharmaceutical drug manufacturers, alleging gouging of American consumers with opaque, flagrant pricing. This epic story was photographed for STAT News for my second assignment with the health and science website. Thanks to Senior Photo Editor Alissa Ambrose for the assignment and Jane Gershovich for helping on set.

Had an incredible opportunity to photograph a Black Lives Matter rally for KUOW in April. My editor, Isolde Raftery, asked me to make portraits of attendees in a similar style to my personal work at a rally last spring for Donald Trump. It was great to meet so many dedicated and passionate people in the streets! Once again, I used my studio lighting outside and on-location to highlight the marchers and make portraits.

“This movement is true for this time,” said Dwayne Stelivan, who goes by King Slim, standing at Westlake Park during a Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “Everybody has their agenda, but everything that is here on Earth is good.” Photo by Daniel Berman

A view of the Black Lives Matter rally beginning at Westlake Park in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman

Della Kolstelnik Juarez, left, brought her daughter, Julia, 16 – standing alongside Amina Hamdan, 12, and her mom, Kifah, and brother, Bilal, 15, who participated in a Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “We’re Muslim and we see nowadays what’s going on but we are here to show we care,” Kifah said. “The difference is going to come from the youths. If you teach them to stand up for injustice, maybe the world will be a better place.” Photo by Daniel Berman

“If you feel it in your heart that means the drum is working,” said Mama Love, during a Black Lives Matter rally and march in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman

The Black Lives Matter march was on the same day as events like SakuraCon and a tax rally. Nancy Shawn, center, holds a sign of support alongside Pharaoh Hecker as the Black Lives Matter march makes its way down 4th Avenue in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “It’s great to see the appreciation for the cause and abolishing the hate that’s been in the police force for years,” Hecker said. Photo by Daniel Berman

Jasmine Freiheit, 16, and Abi Pruitt, 17, both of Sumner, Washington, marched in the Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “I’m happy to see all the people join in,” Freiheit said. “I think it’s amazing to be a part of it.” Photo by Daniel Berman

Cary Moon is running for Seattle mayor. The windy day made things tough on a Belltown rooftop but she was a trouper. Photographed her in Feb. 2015 for a Seattle Weekly story on her opposition to building the Highway 99 tunnel and work as an activist and urban designer.

Had a great time photographing Ken Lobb for the fine folks at Game Informer earlier this year. Lobb has lead a prestigious career in the video game industry for more than two decades, helping craft well-known hits from Killer Instinct to GoldenEye 007 — for which a game weapon was named in his honor. Grooming by Glynne Davies. Assisting by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren.

Photographed Brooks CEO Jim Weber for the cover of Running Insight down at their new Seattle headquarters along the Burke-Gilman trail. Really nice guy and always a pleasure to photograph someone for the second time. We busted through 3 setups on 3 floors in 30 minutes! Many thanks to Art Director Francis J. Klaess.

Had a great shoot last month with Textio CEO Kieran Snyder for HR Magazine and the Society for Human Resource Management. It was a fun job to take on at their downtown Seattle offices in between a day of team meetings. Snyder’s company helps improve job application language for maximum impact — always essential in our current hyper competitive Northwest job market.

Way back last spring I photographed Mod Pizza CEO Scott Svenson and his wife Ally Svenson at one of their Seattle locations of the wildly successful Mod Pizza chain. The shoot was just published (my first of the year!) on the latest cover of Franchise Times. Beth Ewen’s great piece details how Mod Pizza is willing to take a chance and provide meaningful employment to people from difficult backgrounds, encouraging loyalty and fostering a healthy workplace. I had a short amount of time to make multiple portrait options for a potential cover, inside opener, and a planned set of pages inside. Fortunately, Scott and Ally were super nice and easy to work with. So were their ace employees, who helped showcase this important story!